Trent Williams: I Was “Really” Ready To Play For Redskins Last Year

After years of bitter conflict with Redskins management, Trent Williams got his wish – a one-way ticket out of D.C. But, before the offseason trade that shipped him to the 49ers, Williams says he legitimately wanted to retake the field. 

[RELATED: 49ers, Trent Williams Rework Contract]

Williams held out for the the first two months of the 2019 season, but reported to the Redskins after the late October trade deadline. However, he cited immense pain when trying to put on his helmet and flunked his physical. Even after that, Williams said that he wanted to play and find a suitable post-surgery helmet, but the Redskins parked him on the NFI list instead, ending his season and stopping his paychecks.

The competitive juices started to flow, so I was really prepared to make my return last year,” Williams said. “I know all of the things that had went on and just being in that facility, being around teammates, being around the guys you fought with and bled with for some many years. It was almost impossible for me to fight the urge not to just want to get back on the field.”

I was literally waiting on my new helmet to come in. I was getting ready to kind of gear up and it was going to be somewhat of a surprise to some, but I think for the people who know me best they know how competitive I am…I was put on NFI right before I could even get the helmet to get back out there. It was a bummer but figured it was just how it was supposed to work out.”

Ultimately, things worked out alright for Williams. Towards the end of draft weekend, the Redskins shipped him out west to the 49ers, where he’ll take over for Joe Staley at left tackle. And, while he doesn’t have an extension just yet, the Niners did guarantee a portion of his 2020 salary.

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